Cathy's Art Diary

Calming exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery looking at late works by Seurat of towns on the North Coast of France. The show brings together 26 paintings, oil sketches and drawings made by the artist during the five summers he spent on the northern coast of France, between 1885 and 1890. They are arranged chronologically with an excellent commentary and in some cases reproductions of postcards of the same scene. It is amazing how he builds such clear and accurate scenes out of dabs of colour. Despite the fact the show was very busy, the paintings had a calming effect, slowing people down with the pastel colours. I'd gone expecting to like the pure seascapes best, but I loved the scenes of coastal towns with signs of modern life. I think my favourite was this one of a busy harbour. Closes 15 May 2026 Reviews Times Guardian

Thoughtful exhibition at the National Gallery of a video produced by their latest artist in residence, Ming Wong. The exhibition element of this work, inspired by paintings of St Sebastian in gallery, was made up of small screens in a selection of galleries each of which showed a section of the work. There are also showings on certain dates of the complete work in the lecture theatre. Wong draws on paintings of Saint Sebastian combined with the landmark film ‘Sebastiane’ by British filmmaker Derek Jarman. He starts the work walking around the gallery in a suit pierced by arrows musing on how the meaning of paintings alters depending on its location and over time, this then segways into what I assume are preenacted scenes from the film set inside the gallery. I went to see a complete showing and was moved by it despite the two ladies chatting at the back of the auditorium (rude).   If you didn't know the Jarman film it might feel strange being spoken in Latin and the fact it ...

Fun online lecture from the Wallace Collection examining Caravaggio’s life in Rome. The talk complimented the museum’s exhibition of Caravaggio’s cupid painting and set it in context. Andrew Graham-Dixon, art historian and author of an excellent biography of the artist, led us through Caravaggio’s years in Rome from his arrival to his rapid departure after murdering someone. He told the story in a lively and colloquial style making the period feel very alive.  

Enlightening online lecture from the British Museum focusing on the portraits of the king and queen of Hawai’i in the Hawai’i exhibition at the museum. Three speakers, Healoha Johnson, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum on Hawai’i, Kate Lemay, Army College Museum, and Alice Christophe, curator of the exhibition, told us the story of King Liholiho and Queen Kamamalu’s visit to Britain in 1823 and how and why they had their portraits painted while they were there. Sadly they both died of measles during the trip. They talked about the history of using Western portrait painters in Hawai’i and how this was done to present the monarchs to the world and the images were circulated via traders and sailors. They then discussed why they chose to be presented in Western clothes and how these were purchased as well as looking at why the prime minister, Na Poki, and his wife chose to be shown in Hawaiian clothes.  

Fascinating exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery of works on paper by Lucien Freud. The show looks at Freud's mastery of drawing and how he used it in preparation for paintings, as an art form in its own right and as a medium to use after a painting. It also looked at his use of etching and print making. It took a wide definition of portraits based on a quote from Freud "Everything is autobiographical and everything is a portrait, even if it's a chair". It therefore included a wonderful topical drawing of daffodils and there was a wonderful section of drawings after famous paintings or inspired by them. I loved the accurate pictures of a Chardin and a detailed look at his painting in his study based on a Watteau and the show included the original. The drawings were used to discuss how Freud's style changed and yet drawings remained at the heart of it.   Closes 4 May 2026 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph Evening Standard

Interesting exhibition at Charleston in Lewes of new work by Trackie McLeod. The show consists of a series of fun installations which you are invited to interact with and they invite us to think about the "formative spaces of adolescence". Although, at 33 he is closer to adolescence than me, the works did make we think of equivalent items from my youth. McLeod is a Glasgow-based artists and had be chosen to compliment the Two Roberts show which was also running and it did make me think about what work they might have done if they had been born now and not in a time when homosexuality was illegal and they had to hide part of their personality. We had a chat to the volunteer on duty in the room who said how when she first saw the work she though it a bit thin but it has come alive as people have interacted with it and started discussions around it. Closed 12 April 2026